Butchering & Cooking a Tomahawk Bone-In Ribeye w/ Michael Vignola, StripHouse (Video)

The 24-layer chocolate cake at Strip House first had our attention (then our stomachs, and ultimately our hearts). But before we dug in for another fork-full of decadence, we met Executive Chef Michael J. Vignola for some meat.

Michael, who oversees Strip House New York (three in the city) and one in Las Vegas as Corporate Executive Chef, started out his culinary career as early as high school (so young!). He learned at an early age to never compromise on fine product. Since his teen years, he’s worked at Gertrude’s, Le Bernadin, Clemetine, The Modern and Union Pacific, and held stints under Marcus Samuelson, David Bouley and Rocco Dispirito (not a bad resume, if we do say so ourselves).

Oh, and he developed a menu for Lufthansa Airlines with Chef Gabriel Kuther. So, where can we go ASAP? We just want to eat the airplane food…

Since we’re not going on vacation anytime soon, we’ll stick to the New York Strip House locations here in the city which have a glamorous, modern, sophisticated style and an old-world feel. Offering table-side carvings, the restaurants have earned two stars from the New York Times, four stars from Forbes and is rated a top steak house by Zagat.

Yep. That sounds about right.

Chef Vignola joined PR Guest Hospitality in January 2012, and he’s proven good enough for Martha Stewart’s stamp of approval (we had no doubt, obviously). Frequently featured on her radio show, Michael provides season-inspired dishes to the DIY queen. Appearing on national TV spots, like NBC’s TODAY Show and Food Network’s Chopped, we were so excited to see him chop (and show us his chops) in the Strip House kitchen.

And now, you can too. Here’s Chef Vignola showing us how they make their tomahawk bone-in ribeye.

Ingredients

• 1 50oz Long Bone
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 tsp cracked black pepper
• 1 oz blended oil
• Clarified butter TT
• Fleur de SEL  TT

Steps

1. Baste steak in blended oil.

2. Season liberally on both sides with the salt first then the black pepper.

3. Broil steak on high for 10-12 minutes per side.

3. Allow to rest for 12-15 minutes.

4. Return to grill just to sizzle the char.

5. Finish with clarified butter and Fleur De Sel.

 

Are you showcasing your table side carving skills at home? Would you dare to butcher in your kitchen? Leave us your thoughts (and stories!) in the comments below.